​Missing Malaysia Airlines plane was programmed to divert just before signoff – report

Missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 changed direction at least 12 minutes before its co-pilot signed off, sources told NBC News. The diversion was based on a programming command to the plane’s cockpit computer used to guide the flight plan.

If true, the theory supports the belief of investigators – first
voiced by Malaysian officials – that the flight was deliberately
diverted. The New York Times reported as much late on Monday, adding that
it was not clear whether the system was reprogrammed before or
after takeoff.

"Some pilots program an alternate flight plan in the event of
an emergency," said Feith, a former US National
Transportation Safety Board crash investigator.

"We don't know if this was an alternate plan to go back to
Kuala Lumpur or if this was to take the plane from some place
other than Beijing," where the flight was due land, Feith
said.

The plane was last detected by Malaysian military radar in the
Strait of Malacca, south of Phuket Island, Thailand, hundreds of
miles off course.

Authorities said Saturday that MH370 diverted from its path to
Beijing because of “deliberate action by someone on the
plane.”

Navigational instructions logged in the FMS changed the plane’s
path, according to reports. The FMS transmits data to the
Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS)
that in turn sends information to the airline.

Malaysian officials believe MH370’s ACARS was still functioning
when the plane’s co-pilot spoke the last words heard by ground
control.

Yet MH370’s ACARS lost function around the same time that oral
radio contact was cut off and as the airplane’s transponder
halted, the Times reported.

Investigators are combing over radar tapes from MH370’s
departure, believing the recordings would show that after the
plane changed its path, it went through several pre-ordained
“waypoints,” or markers in the sky. That would implicate
that a knowledgeable pilot was controlling MH370 as it went
through those points, as passing through them without a computer
is not likely.

Meanwhile, in a press briefing on Tuesday that included
little new information on the missing flight, Malaysian
authorities said search efforts continue.

They defended their handling of search operations, as some
missing passengers’ relatives have threatened to take part in a
hunger strike for more information.

“We are doing all that we can to ensure that we are giving
sufficient assistance, information and care to all the family
members in Beijing,” said Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, chief
executive of Malaysia Airlines.

Malaysian government officials asked the countries assisting in
the search, including China and the US, to recheck their radars
for any more information.

“The only one out in the open is Malaysia,” acting
transport minister Hishamuddin Hussein told reporters on Tuesday,
suggesting that Malaysia has been the most transparent in the
search.